Wire-stretcher



No. 611,268. Patented Sept. 27, I898. A. McINTURFF &. H. J. STEWART.

2 Sheets-$heet I.

v WIRE STRETCHER.

- (Application filed. June 25, 1898.) (No Model.)

fill? 1, 1W umm HIIIIIIIIIM Illilllilllllllllfll I I] ml No. 6ll,268.Patented Sept. 27,1898. A. MCINTURFF G. H. J. STEWART.

WIRE STRETCHER.

' (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

NITED STATES PATENT -rrrcn.

WlRE-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,268, dated.September 27, 1898.

Application filed June 25, 1898. Serial No. 684.498. (N0 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beitknown thatwe, ABRAHAM MOINTURFF and HUGH J. STEWART, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Eversonville, in the county of Linn and Stateof Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in\Vire-Stretchers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

Our invention relates to certain novel features involved in theconstruction and combination of parts necessary to provide areliably-efficient wire-stretching appliance.

Among the objects of our invention is to provide reliable means forstretching the wire during the process of building a fence and also forsplicing or repairing any break that may occurin any of the wires, andin certain details designed to anchor our improved wirestretcher in itsoperative position upon the fence-post, thus rendering it unnecessaryfor the attendant to hold the stretcher against lateral movement.

Other advantages and objects will be made fully apparent in thefollowing specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a top plan view of our wirestretcher complete, showingit in an anchored position upon a post. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofFig. 1. Fig. 3iis a similar View to that shown in Fig. 2, showing thewire-stretcher used to splice or repair a break in the wire. Fig. 4.- isa detail view of the frame or body of our wire-stretcher. Fig. 5 is adetail edge view of the controlling-lever, while Fig. 6 is a section ofFig. 4 on line 00 00.

Referring in detail to the several parts of our invention, 1 and 2represent parallel sections of the frame, which are substantiallyoblong, and consists, in addition to the sections 1 and 2, of the endsections 3 and 4, and designed to reciprocate freely between thesections 1 and 2 we dispose the ratchet-bar 5,

having upon its upper edge the series of ratchet-teeth 6, by means ofwhich when in engagement with the pawl 7 said bar is easily moved to thedesired position, the inner end of said bar being attached to the wire 8to be stretched by means of the clamp or hook 9, as clearly shown. Thesections 1 and 2 terminate in the curved anchoring members 10 and 11,the latter being directed upward,

while the former is curved downward, the objectin thus separating theextreme beveled ends 12 of said members being to provide a sureranchorage and thus guard against an upward or downward movement of thebodysection and the ratchet-bar.

In order to more reliably secure the bodysection in position, we preferto pivot at the outer end thereof, by means of the staple 13 orotherwise, the anchoring-lever 14, having upon itsfree end the sharpenedpoint 15, designed to be driven securely into the post, and when thusanchored in position it will be seen that the body-section will be heldreliably in position. .In order that the ratchetbar may be retained inan adjusted position, we provide the pivoted pawls 16 and 1.7, thepurpose of the latter being hereinafter more clearly set forth.

The operating-lever, which will be more clearly seen in Fig. 5, consistsof the leversection proper, 18, and the anchoring journal or lug 19, andis also provided with the downwardly-extending lip 20, between which andsaid lever the double-toothed pawl 7 is pivotally secured.

By reference to Fig. 4 it will be observed that the sections 1 and 2 areprovided substantially midway in their length with the transversereinforcing-rib 21, at each end of which we providethe apertures 22 and23, designed to receive the journal or lug 19 of the lever, according towhich position the lever occupies. I

It will be seen that the end sections 3 and 4 areprovided with a recessor aperture 24, designed to loosely receive the ratchet-bar 5 and permitthe free reciprocation thereofduring the process of using thewire-stretcher.

It will be observed that our wire-stretching appliance is easilyreversible and-that the operator may use the same-and proceed in eitherdirection, the change being effected by a change of the location of theoperatinglever 18, it being readily apparent that after the ratchet-bar5 is removed it may be turned so that the ratchets thereon will extendin an opposite direction, the lever 18 being previously extended in thesame direction by removing the journal 19 from the aperture 22 andinserting it in aperture 23, the doubletoothed pawl being provided toaccommodate this changed position of the lever and the pawl 17 beingdesigned also to cooperate with the ratchets upon the reversedratchet-bar.

In order that our wire-stretching appliance may be easily used both forthe purpose of building a fence and for splicing or repairing a brokenwire, we provide the hooks or clamps 25 and 26, the former beingpivotally secured in position by the staple or eyebolt 13, while thelatter is secured to an integrally-formed eye 27 upon the end section 4.By the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 it will be observedthat a simple reciprocation of the free end of the lever 18 will causethe pawls 7 and 16 to cooperate with the teeth upon the ratchet-bar andwill thus induce the longitudinal movement of said bar and incidentallystretch the wire to which said bar is attached by means of the clamp orhook section 9, our wire-stretching appliance having been previouslyanchored upon the post, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. \Vhen it isdesired to proceed in an opposite direction, it will be clear, as aboveset forth, that our wirestretcher may be prepared for its work bywithdrawing the ratchet-bar and replacing it so that the teeth thereonwill be disposed in an opposite direction, the controlling-lever havingbeen previously reversed, so that the journal 19 will occupy theopposite recess carried by the frame-sections.

\Vhen it is desired to splice or repair a broken wire, the operation maybe stated to be as follows: The pawls 7 and 16 or 17, as the case maybe, are manually controlled, so that the ratchet-bar can be withdrawn tothe extent that the free end of said bar will be within the recessformed in the end section 3 whenone end of the wire is to be connectedto the book 0 and the other end of the wire is to be attached to one ofthe hooks 25 or 26, as preferred, the free ends of the wires beingpreferably left to extend free beyond said hooks, so that when they arebrought together through the action of the lever 18 upon the ratchet-barthey may be readily overlapped and twisted upon each other.

In Fig. 3 we have shown the two ends of the wires as being attached tothe hooks 9 and 25, though it will be clear that the hook 25 may bereplaced by the hook 26, the result being substantially the same.

Having thus fully described the advantages, construction, and use of ourimproved wirestretching appliance, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein described wire stretching appliance, consisting of theratchet-bar, the frame designed to receive said ratchet-bar and permitthe longitudinal reciprocation thereof; curved anchoring members carriedby said frame; a lever adjustably mounted upon said frame and carrying apawl; a pair of pawls oppositely disposed upon the frame and designed toengage said ratchet-bar and an anchoring brace or stem pivotally securedto the frame and designed to take into a fence-post upon which thestretcher is adj usted as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a wire-stretching appliance, the combination with the ratchet-bar;a frame-section receiving said bar and permitting the free reciprocationthereof; pawls pivotally secured upon said frame; a controlling-leveradjustably mounted on the frame and suitable means, substantially as setforth, for anchoring the frame and the parts carried thereby upon thefence-post, and additional means for engaging the ends of the wires tobe stretched, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereofwe affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

ABRAHAM MOINTURFF. HUGH J. STEVART. Witnesses:

T. O. MERRYMAN, (3. W. LABAR.

